Water meter



1. c. STEVENS:

WATER METER APPLICATION HLED FEB. 3, 1911. RENEWED APR. 17,1922.

Patented May 30, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET J. 0. STEVENS.

WATER METER. APPLICATION HLED FEB. a. 1911.

RENEWED APR. 17,1922.

Patented May 30,1922

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

wuemtoz attain:

JOHN c. STEVENS, or PORTLAND, OREGON, 'AssIGNoR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, T

LEUPOLD, VfjlilLPEL & COMPANY, OF PORTLAND, OREGON, A CORPORATION OF033.com.

WATER, METER.

Specification ofietters Patent. Patented lway 31),- 1922.

Application filed February 3, 1917, Serial No. 1 46, 159. Renewed Avril1 7, 1922. v Serial No. '553,926.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOH C. STEVENS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Portland, in the county of Multnomah, State of Oregon, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Water Meters,

of which the following is a description, reference being had to theaccompanying drawing and to the figures of reference marked thereon. 1 v

- The invention relates to new and useful improvements in water meters,and more particularly to a water meter for measuring the volume of waterflowing through an open channel or flume.

An object of the invention is to provide means for measuring the volumeof flow of water through an open channel or flume, which means is soconstructed as to cause no appreciable loss of head in the flow.

A further object of the invention is to provide an open channel or flumewith a applied thereto constricted throat or passage which producs adifference in the water levels, and associating therewith means operatedby the difference in water levels which indicates and records the volumeof flow ofthe water in the channel or flume. I

A still further object of the invention is to provide a water meter ofthe above character with floats, guide pulleys and con--.-

necting cables which areso' arranged and constructed as to move theindicating or recording device in accordance with the net difference inthe levels of two water surfaces. I

These and other objects will in part be obvious and will'in part behereinafter more fully disclosed. I

In-the drawings, which show by way of illustration on'eembodiment of theinvention:- I

Figure 1 is a plan view of a channel or flume having myjimproved watermeter Fig. 2 is a side view of the same;

Fig. 3 is a sectional View on the line 3-3 ofFig.1;and l V Fig, 4 is anenlarged sectional view through the float wells which are'connected to'the flume or channel.

The invention is directed broadly to a water meter for measuring thevolume of flow in an open channel or flume, such as used for irrigation,water power, sewage aiid so forth. In' carrying out the invention, theopen flume or channel is formed with a constricted area or throat byplacing 'a' cover wells, one of which is connected to theflume orchannel just above the meter of constricted area, while the other isconnected to the channel at the constricted area r-thr0at.

The difference in the waterqlevels between the open flume just above themeter and that in the well at the throat is an index of the velocity ofthe water passing the throat Associated with the wells-are fioats,-cables and guide pulleys which operate anindicar tor or recordingdevice, and these parts are so constructed and arranged that thisdifference in the water levels in the two wells is continually recordedon a sheet which is properly graduated to correspond to the size andtype of meter, and thus a continuone record of the volume of flow isobtained.

Referring more in detail to the drawings, I have indicated more or'lessdiagrammatically a channel or flume which is formed of metal, indicatedat 1, and this metal is shaped so as to provide "a semi-circular metalflume or channel. The metal flume 8 may be supported on ordinarytrestles, indicated at 22 in the drawings, or may be buried in theground to form in effect a lining to an earth channel. A cover 3 made ofsheet metal is riveted to the angles 4 which are in turn riveted to thesides of the flume.

This cover is depressed, as clearlyshown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, soas to form a constricted area or throat 5 in the flume. The

cross-section of this throat or constricted passage 5, in the presentembodiment of the in vention is a segment of .a circle. The cover 3 ismade so that the areas gradually de- V crease from the lip-stream endofthe cover to the throat, and increasemore gradually to the down-streamend of the cover. This arrangement will reduce the total loss of head toa minimum, that is to say, the total drop in the water head in the flumeor channel from the up-stream end of the meter to the down-stream endthereof is very slight.

Located along side of the'meter are two wells6 and The well 6 isconnected by .means of. a-pipe 7 t to the flumeat the throat orconstricted area therein, while the well 7 is connected by means of apipe 8 (see Figs.

1 and 2) to theflume at a point 9 which is just above the meter. Thedirection of flow is indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1. The

' 12 for the recording device; The two float 1O floatwells 6 and 7 aresuspended from cross ties 10 and, 11 which also support a stand wellsand the recording device are shown more or less dia rammatically in Fig.4: of the drawings. g float 13 is located in the well 6 and rests on thesurface of the water therein, while afloat 14 is located in the well 7and rests on the surfaceof the water in this well A cable-15 isconnected to the float 14, and then extends about a guide pulley 16attached to a weighted member 17 located in the well 7 This cable 15,after leaving the guide pulley 16,; extends abouta guide pulley 18 andis then connected to the float 1 3. The guide pulley 18.is carried by acable 19 which runs over the operating wheel 20 of the recording deviceand the other end of this cable 19 carries a counterbalance 21.

-From the above, it'will be apparent that i the floats 13 and '14, asthey move toward .a common water level, will give up slack to the cable15, which will allow the guide pulleiy 18 to move upward through theaction he counterbalance 21, and'this will turn the recording device, Onthe other hand, when the water levels in. the. two wells change so thatthe difference in the two levels increases, then the floats will moveaway from each other, and this will cause the guide pulley 18 to movedownwardly and turnthe'recording device in the opposite direction. Bythe arrangement above 1 described, where the cable isfconnected to aguide pulley at the lower'part of one of the wells, the floats willmeasure the net difference in levels of the two water surfaces. If thefloat 14 remains stationary and the float 13 falls, then thegdifl'erencein the the well-known manner.

runn ng over said If the float 13 remains stationary the floats I amable to measure the net-difference of the water levels'in the two wells.As the pulley 18 moves only with changes in the difference in thelevels, the operating wheel of the recording device will turn indirection and amount corresponding to these changes, and, therefore, therecorder will record continuously the net difference in the. levels inthe water surfaces in the float. wells.

The volume of flow may be obtained in The area of the throat orconstricted passage in the meter is known, and from this together withcertain constants and the head, on the meter or the difieren'ce in thelevels of the two water surfaces in the float wells, the volume offlow'may be readily computed.

While I have described a' flume which is semi-circular in cross section,it will be understood that the flume may be rectangular in crosssection, or V-shaped in cross sec-- tion, or ofany desired'shape, theessential features being the forming of a constricted area in an opentop flume, the connecting of the water WGllS tO the flume at theconstricted area and at a point above the me- 7 ter, and the utilizingof the different levels of the water in these Wells for operating therecording instruments.

It is obvious that minor changes in the 7' details of construction andthe arrangement of the parts may be made withoutdeparting from thespirit of the invention, as set forth in the appended claim.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is Anopen-channel water meter including in combination, means for forming aCOIlStIlCta ed .throatfor the water, two wells, one of which isconnected. to the channel at the constricted throateand the other ofwhich is connected to the channel at a point above the constrictedthroat, a float in each well,

a uide pulley at the bottom of one of said we ls, a cable connected tosaid floats and uide pulley, a second guide pulley above t e wells overwhich the cable runs, and means operated by said second guide pulley forindicating the volume of flow of water through the channel.

In testimony whereof, I afli'x'my signature in thepresence of twowitnesses.

JOHN C. STEVENS. Witnesses: p

C. E. Emswon'rn,

. J. B.,Woonwinn.'

